WATCH: North Carolina coach Scott Forbes ejected in third inning against VCU

After a fly-ball in the third inning by North Carolina, the umpires did not rule it an infield fly and coach Scott Forbes argued the call. The pop-fly wasn’t called an infield fly, and VCU second baseman Marcus O’Malley slid on the grass before making the catch and the ball fell fair. North Carolina had two runners on first and second base, and because they didn’t advance on the fly ball VCU turned a double play by getting the forced outs.

As Forbes argued the call, home plate umpire Jeff Henrichs made the choice to eject Forbes and leave the Tar Heels without their coach for the rest of the game.

.@DiamondHeels’ Scott Forbes tossed in the third. 😬pic.twitter.com/EyE5BL55Aw

— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) June 5, 2022

North Carolina coach Scott Forbes ejected

The call cost North Carolina an inning with great momentum while already trailing 1-0. The only run of the game through five innings was a solo home run by VCU’s Connor Hujsak in the second inning. North Carolina will look to get their bats online before it’s too late, as the Tar Heels and the Rams both sit undefeated in the Chapel Hill region.

As Forbes likely explained in much more aggressive terms — the infield fly rule was designed specifically to protect base runners in the situation that unfolded on Saturday. Although VCU didn’t appear to intentionally drop the ball for the much better double-play, the rule exists to protect teams from letting it fall on purpose and forcing runners into a scramble.

The inning might have proven to be the difference in the game when it was all over, as North Carolina fell 4-3 after a two-run final inning by the Tar Heels. With two outs and down three still, Danny Seretti hit a two-run homer to bring the tying run to the plate for North Carolina — although VCU would get the final out and earn the win.